Abstract

GUTIERREZ SAMPERIO, César. Responsibility to the unborn. Teratogenesis and the bad life. Comments to the book by Dr. Alberto Campos. Cir. gen [online]. 2020, vol.42, n.3, pp.245-249.  Epub July 25, 2022. ISSN 1405-0099.  https://doi.org/10.35366/99967.

The Zika virus (ZIKV) epidemic in Brazil in 2015 revived the abortion controversy because of the association between intrauterine infection and a combination of very severe and disabling malformations during the lifetime of live births. The book under review here questions whether it is enough to be born to disregard profound disabilities throughout a lifetime. It asks whose responsibility it is to carry out an abortion or whose responsibility it is for the lifelong suffering of one born with malformations and profound disabilities if such an abortion is not done. As a fundamental premise of the book, it is necessary to go to the epistemology of the medical problem to understand the controversy and moral dilemma. Then, instead of answering questions with statistics, valid recommendations about possible consequences and moral implications of a dilemmatic choice can be made. The book analyzes moral, ethical, legal, and social aspects of decision-making. It also encourages reflection on a current ethical problem and other bioethical dilemmas in the practice of medicine.

Keywords : Bioethics; responsibility; unborn; teratogenesis; quality of life.

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